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Palmyra OKs administrative pacts

The school board officially hired an assistant superintendent and gave a five-year contract to the superintendent

By CHRIS SHOLLYLebanon Daily News

Updated:
05/11/2013 03:07:19 PM EDT

Lisa Brown (LEBANON DAILY NEWS JEREMY LONG)

PALMYRA - The Palmyra Area school board officially hired a new assistant superintendent Thursday night.

The board approved a three-year contract with Bernard Kepler of North Londonderry Township. He will receive an annual salary of $124,000, effective July 1.

Kepler was the assistant superintendent at the neighboring Derry Township School District. Kepler also was the principal at Annville-Cleona High School before joining Derry. He has three children in the Palmyra district.

"It's my community," he said. "I grew in a small town in northwestern Pennsylvania, and the schools are the center of everything you do. So I'm just excited to be able to contribute and give back to the community where we're raising our children.

Bernard Kepler (LEBANON DAILY NEWS JEREMY LONG)

I'm excited to be joining a high-caliber team."

In addition, the board approved a five-year contract, effective July 1, with Lisa Brown as the next superintendent at an annual salary of $136,000. Superintendent Collene Van Noord will retire effective June 30. Brown is currently the assistant superintendent.

In other business, the board approved a proposed 2013-14 general fund budget of $41.7 million, with real estate millage listed of 100.9. The proposed budget would require a 0.9 mill increase in the real-estate tax.

At 0.9 mills, a resident with a property at the median assessment of $23,000 would pay an additional $21 per year in real-estate taxes.

A mill is $1 of tax on every $1,000 of assessed property value.

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These figures do not reflect last year's countywide reassessment. The district's rate will be set by Lebanon County officials in June, when all of the reassessments are completed.

"As a board and administration, we're going to continue to work to make sure that we can get as close to our goal as possible," said board President Chris Connell, noting the board has set a goal of a zero percent increase this year.

In another budget matter, the board adopted revisions in the 2012-13 budget with total expenditures of $42.5 million.

"We received unanticipated revenue with the termination of the TIF (tax increment financing) agreement for the General Mills property and also earned income tax revenue and savings from our bond refinancing," said Darcy Brenner-Smith, director of business affairs.

Brenner-Smith said the extra funds would be transferred from this year's budget to a capital projects budget for safety initiatives and starter funds for growth at the middle school.

In other business, the board approved:

Matthew Clark as an assistant varsity football coach for the 2013-14 season at a salary of $1,795.

Board member Lori Gall as treasurer from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014.